 Welcome back to the breakfast and plus TV Africa we had straight to a second conversation where we'll stay with the after the strike by ASU now the academic staff union of universities has said its members in universities across the country will end back on another strike very soon the reason for the strike action according to the unions due to the failure of the federal government to implement the agreement it signed with ASU since 2009 now to broker peace the union had an agreement to renegotiate and then renegotiation includes signing and implementation of renegotiated agreement of 2009 and the adoption of university transparency and accountability software instead of the controversial IPPIS now with the constant strike action that dwindle the academic performance of students as learning is suspended for a very long time and this is not very good we will be looking at the implication for the educational sector we have an educationalist who joins the conversation and the big question we're putting out is what is the way forward for the Nigerian student we do have professor Fawe we may joining the conversation this morning good morning professor Yomi it's good to have you join us all right so let's share your thoughts now with the constant strike I mean this is not the first time the Nigerian student and the educational sector would be witnessing strike from ASU and we already know the story it's the fact that it's a big deal for the government to keep to the agreement and implement the agreement the broker with the union and so what do you think would be the way forward now for the Nigerians today what do they have to do okay now thanks for having me it's unfortunate we have had a strike it's become a strike too many in 20 the last time national also went strike was in 2020 and they went to a strike that started in March and ended in December that's nine months of strike after that strike there was an agreement with government and we were very grateful 2021 there was no national strike and then we February and then we're already getting threats of it it's unfortunate because what has happened is that we have had this system I mean we have a system problem we'll have had the government's reneging on his agreement or sometimes I mean agreement just to get ASU back to work without any serious commitment to getting things out really following up on the other hand to ASU itself sometimes plays a game that he knows is all going to win everybody knew that when ASU government signed the agreement in 2020 everybody knew that government was not going to implement it ASU knew it wasn't going to happen but you know what happens typically is that when ASU goes on strike they stay too long there's a lot of social pressure on them and government decides to release some money to show some commitment and they go back to work and and we're back to where we are so from 2019 to 2009 to the strike I mean this is like the 455 on that agreement we're back to where we are and it's unfortunate for the educational system the students lose time there's a business case where ASU was on strike Hasu does not eventually lose when it goes right that's one fact we need to understand the greatest laws comes to the students and second education system for ASU it's not like that and while we have this discussion about national ASU remember some school ASU started on strike for example started to strike in the last couple of days so the strike I've been on in various schools is that they have to settle it's very well I didn't strike you know that's when I invested for example is over the sharing of the money that was gotten based on the last strike so the two factions in the university are fighting over the formula so you see a system where lecturers won't try to ask for money which happened in 2020 government released some money now government have released the money and how to appeal the money among the academics that we need in the university the formula is cost another crisis that staff has also going to strike so where is the system where ASU is the only viable tool it has to make a difference strike and that's a big problem for me as a clinician and you're expected to be creative to be innovative to solve problems not to complicate the problems using strikes for the end of the problem. Interesting that you've talked about the case in the OAU some people have raised concerns and I've called ASU out on the fact that even though they try to give us some you know welfare reasons you know why they go for strike they will probably set one reason in the list of demands about the state of facilities in the school and all that but the overriding or the underlying reason why they go and strike could be for financial reasons and what is their due financially in terms of remuneration and some people feel it's all about money and that is a problem do you think that's a problem yeah I mean ASU's demands are typically when ASU goes on strike they come with a list of demands on average between they go they don't go on national strikes without having a list of between six to twelve issues but what typically I mean that's why I call it a game it's a game between both sides so there's a use of twelve things so they'll tell you for example uh they want funding for the university system they may say they want a new software to beat it up in the case of UTAs versus IPPIs they may say for example that they want money for this or they may say this is taking on panel so most strike by ASU as the financial as three categories the financial benefit to the ASU members that one to the financial release to the educational system the university system and totally some other issues but what the game both sides plays is that most governments here see those things of eight to twelve issues that ASU brings but governments decide to act with most of them right but what the bank quickly does is to pay the financial and that goes to the members of ASU and once they get their last like they call this in Nigeria once a lot are some day they call it a strike so at the end of the day both sides know that they are just playing the game but you know what it's very unfortunate fact that there's no reason why ASU you know won't strike they don't lose anything let's be very real so let me give the case of 2020 strike 2020 strike they were not paid for months at the end of the day they eventually got the night they weren't they didn't go to work for nine months of the year and by December they all got their money back new sub schools it was the general effort but they got their money back that's one so you didn't work for nine months of the year and you were paid for nine months nine months is what it takes to conceive the baby baby to tell you what can happen in nine months this they work for three months in the year and were paid for nine months twelve months now what happened is actually check the rate of 2020 December and 2021 January most universities had massive promotions I can give you the case of University of Illinois I can give you the case of very invested people are great so guys have been on strike for nine months in 2021 and in December January they got promoted they got their salary they got the promotion hey life is good so the question is that you come to work every day you end the salary year does not so why does you come to work for nine months of the year gets paid at the end of the year and also gets the promotion if you are in this shoes won't you go and strike again okay so but now that this sounds like a transaction and this has been going on for a very long time you have rightly mentioned from your position unfortunately we're unable to have you know representatives of the union because they're actually stated categorically that they're having series of meetings and therefore will not be able to attend to us but it's a good thing that we have you here it's business like you're saying they might just be benefiting life is good for you know the members of this union but for the student at the end of the day which will make up the productive population or whether or not their productive is another question which will which makes up you know the working population or part of the economy where does this leave them now that they are not because it's not working for they are good what will now be the way out what do they what do they have to resort to what should they resort to it's the question i mean it's a very unfortunate situation because you know like the pro-abbiocene goes when two elephants bite the ground and so forth um in the end of the day let's first remember that even without strikes the lending has not been very effective they are universities then for example that in their lab overseas they are no reagents they are the deck the equipment they used to teach them is not available so that's possible i mean i was discussing with the deaf friend who teaches the normal performance in the best in Nigeria and will he will tell you students concept and tell them go to your library get you go to your they won't spend too early time so the books have not really been a library so even without the strike the lending is not effective now with the strike you have learning that is not effective that is not also enlisted because students stay longer so students are the ones that they have to print and pile up sometimes i ask myself very sincerely is there really a plan by asu because at the end of the day is asu indirectly trying to encourage more people to send their children either abroad or send their children to private schools because the business case for sending your child to public school has already been defeated if you know that if your child gets admission to study four years in a university and is of guarantee and you can get an affordable private school why why won't you send your child there so sometimes i ask myself is there really a grand plan for hope by asu or an unintended consequence by asu to get people to go to private universities because that's that's the implication so for the students that are there i don't know what they can believe because unfortunately asu won't listen to the students it's just a case of they have become stranded in the system but maybe the question of experience and this is their questioning doesn't really make it no business sense to keep sending your child to public school that the strike can be national can be so now or can be based on this university and you know when you remember that popular song in ijia time and money when your child can graduate on time you waste time in school by time your child graduate instead of 24 years at 26 years it goes out and their employer is telling them you want a graduate of master or more engineering not longer than 24 years where your child has to stay at home. Professor Yomi i'm sorry to interject because we're we're looking at this would always continue kofi would always say i'm a product of you know strike i've witnessed that for six months and it can be you know very very damaging we don't have time you are saying that maybe parents should begin to consider sending their kids to public or children to publics i mean to private schools if that's what you're saying but you would also want to agree with me that not everyone can afford that because of the cost of you know private universities in Nigeria so the question now again is what will this student do because you find that that a lot actually happened when this student do not have anything to engage i mean it's what's of like you have mentioned that the system is not effective enough and then the fact that they don't have anything to engage so what is really really the way out that would you just fold their arms because that's also a threat to national security amongst other issues okay i mean you make a very great point and i think that's what people say when this issue about private so let's be very let's be very let's use data to take the position not all private universities are expensive so there are three categories of private university are the expensive ones they are the video size one but they are also universities private universities that are for people because specific programs are free so whether university private university for example in in the south in the north central for example that has lived in tuition free for anybody that wants to study agriculture there's a university private university in the state that may give tuition free for anybody that wants to study video studies so if parents want to do the video they will understand that there are schools where nutrition is either made to use or affordable and then you have some videos based private universities that give discounted amounts to their pay but the question we need to ask ourselves is that at the end of the day is your child getting education now so for the students that's for the period for the student who is going to be affected by this in today's world you have access to information and education whether it's through Coursera or through Denny through YouTube when we just advise if you're trying to have goals don't be idle don't just stay at home or don't just go partying start to learn online what you should learn and start to get value for yourself if you want to learn to code if you want to learn a new language or you actually want to learn on that in that same sector you can so no child should say no student should say because of that's just like I can't learn that's what they can do because if it's a vast situation that's you can't make a super back to work if you want to decide the national strike and so that's what I so I think with the question of what would be the equivalent view for those coming from currently they have the choice to still go to his public university if you agree but this is 2022 some schools have no completed admission based on 2021 and you and me they have not admitted to the students and we're already 2022 the other thing was that's getting 30 next couple of weeks and then there is a strike you ask yourself are you even making the best choice for your child if that child goes to public university but in fact a very big university you need to have an alternative learning plan when this child can learn on his own if they have to strike goals or not we're not too sure whether that's really going to strike eventually because sometimes I feel that they just want to get social pressure on government to act and that's why on Monday for example they declared that all schools declare what they did they asked them to is just to get more pressure on government my right with my child entirely just as a community committee as long as you need a president to appeal for us so there's still some things happening on ground so it's not impossible government you want to do something this week though I remember hearing they asked the president saying they have not called you for a meeting but a government knows how to do that once you place a call they do some a lot of business they were back to where the game is on so if the game is good well we'll be watching this space and of course as I said the federal government has till February 12 13 when they'll be having their national executive council meeting at the University of Lagos to redeem itself or possibly face a strike let's see how it plays out I want to thank you very much for your time sir uh professor Fawie Mi who is an educationist and who's joining us to give us expert and insightful analysis of the situation thank you very much for your time prof thank you right mercy you can't stop you know I don't know if you're proud of the fact that you spent six months at home but a prof said you know you could have done some online um online studies but you chose to go look for money you know you chose to go make money which is actually you like you like money you know everyone needs it but the most important thing is that you know stay productive and don't stay idle just like the professor has actually mentioned we're hoping that we get to a point where uh just as we evolve without democracy we hope that the educational sector as well would also evolve that's it for the show if you missed that on any part of the conversation that's all right to follow us on facebook twitter and instagram what plus in the africa and subscribe to youtube channel plus the africa and plus the africa lifestyle i am messico have a fantastic day and my name is kofi but i also return tomorrow have a fantastic day tomorrow